That error afforded Ogier, who struggled on Thursday with the setup of his Yaris, to take a lead he’d valiantly fight for through Saturday, despite Solberg suddenly leaping ahead by midday service.
Ogier’s time loss on the stage prior made him realize he needed to increase the risks, and he duly did so across the afternoon to lead the rally by 21.9s ahead of the final day from Neuville, as Solberg dropped back with a puncture and a half spin.
Managing the gap across the final morning, Ogier was forced to stop on SS22 of 23 and change a tire which cost him two minutes and a record-extending eighth Rally Portugal win.
“It should have been our rally, but there are things you can’t control,” said Ogier. “Everything we could control we did well, but it was hard luck for us today. I feel like we deserved a bit better.”
Solberg’s second place marked his first podium since victory at January’s Monte Carlo Rally and he moved to third in the championship as a result, 31 points behind Evans.
Takamoto Katsuta finished fifth after a weekend where he struggled for confidence, while Sami Pajari placed seventh, losing a fifth consecutive podium finish due to a tire change on the same stage as Ogier.
Katsuta’s now 12 points adrift of Evans with Pajari falling to fifth in the championship, one point behind Fourmaux.